The Light of the World

We've been trying to have some fun and meaningful family time together in preparation for Advent. I personally have been trying to give more of my "presence" to the kids instead of "presents."
We planned tonight to drive around together to see Christmas lights, so beforehand I prepared a little devotion. Feel free to use it, or change it up.

"The Light of the World"

We started out our time in the dark and talked about how hard it would be to have to live in darkness. Then I lit a candle.
Talk about how several hundred years before Jesus came, God began to tell his prophets that Jesus was coming. Almost 750 years before Jesus came, God told Isaiah about him.

Read Isaiah 9:2
Ask, "What does it mean the people were living in darkness?" "What light are they talking about?"

Read John 1:9
Ask, "Who is the true light?" The Bible says that Jesus is the light of the world! He came to save all of us from our darkness.

Read Matthew 5:14
Ask, "Who is the light now?" We are the light of the world!
Jesus, the Light of the world, lives in us and he wants us to shine our light so that when people see us, our lives shine and show others the way to God.

This is why we have lights at Christmas time. We light our trees and put lights on our houses to remind us that Jesus came to bring light to our world and we are to shine His light!

Pray that we would be good lights, so that when people see our good deeds, they will praise our Father in heaven.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

One thing I am looking forward to this Christmas is re-reading this book by Nancy Guthrie. Come, Thou Long- Expected Jesus is actually a compilation of works edited by Guthrie. She
"draws from the works and sermons of classic theologians such as Whitefield, Luther, Spurgeon, and Augustine, and from leading contemporary communicators such as John Piper, J. Ligon Duncan, Randy Alcorn, John MacArthur, Francis Schaeffer, R. C. Sproul, Skip Ryan, and Joni Eareckson Tada to beckon you and your family into the wonder of Jesus' incarnation and birth."

If found this book to be rich, deep and inviting. I felt like I was truly able to celebrate what Christmas is really all about, Immanuel, God with us!!!

I highly recommend it if you are looking for an advent book that draws you near to the heart of Jesus this Christmas.

Find the Amazon link here. (She also has a similar work for Easter.)

Dinner tonight

Hannah wasn't too thrilled about our dinner tonight. Trying to be polite, she told me, "It looked a little like the "f" word."

"The "f" word!"' I said.

She said, "Yah, you know, frow up!"

Hannah's Jesus Birthday

Four years ago, Hannah gave her life to Jesus. This morning she announced to her brothers, "Today is my Jesus birthday, and I don't want you guys to do anything to mess it up!!!" Such a Spirit-filled, grace-filled girl!

Cross-Cultural Alphabet

This year, Josh's wish finally came true... he gets to go to school! He's in a morning pre-k class that has turned out to be amazingly diverse!! There are 17 kids in his class and probably at least 6 countries represented. He's got a friend from Mexico and Brazil. A little Chinese looking friend, as well as a few who are brought by their Muslim moms who are fully covered from head to toe.
In the car yesterday, Josh yells, "M-M, I see an M!!! It's the letter that goes down- up- down- up- down."
"You're right Josh," I said, "Do you know what sound the M makes?"
"It says Mmmmm Mmmmm! It's the letter of Mohammad's name!!!"

My Little Sweetheart

My sweet, oldest boy, Hud has such a precious heart. I love how it comes out daily, somehow managing to show through all the rough, tough, competitive attributes that are there too.
Yesterday I was helping him with his homework. He was supposed to write a letter. I said, "Who do you want to write to? Grandpa?" "How 'bout Mr. J (his teacher)?" he said. He wrote the letter and we were at the closing. I said, "You could say, 'Your friend, Hudson,' or 'Your student, Hudson,'" He said, "Why not just, 'Love, Hudson?'" Perfect!

My Hunters

Russ got his first dear of the season today with his bow, and Hud got to be there to see it all! Russ said that he'd never seen Hud so excited. He was still shaking for quite some time afterwards. Russ asked him if he was cold and Hud said, "No, I'm just excited!" I think he's hooked.

Zucchini Crisp

(photo from the blog I linked)

A year or two ago, I bookmarked this recipe on a blog I follow. It just sounded weird enough to try! I made the crisp for the first time tonight, and it is delicious!!!! It tastes very much like an apple crisp, only I think I liked it better. It has a nice crunchy top and the zucchini slices had a nice firmness to them, compared to how apples can get a little mushy. We ate it without ice cream and it was fine, I'm sure ice cream would be good with it too.

Love being a mom to this kid!!

I took Josh on a little lunch date to Freddy's today and afterward I said, "Thanks so much for going on a date with me, Josh!" "Nooooo problem, Mom. If you want me to go on a date with you every day, that's noooo problem!"
We're a slug bug finding team, and we'd been having a pretty successful day. Our hypothetical opponents were quite behind our count! I said, "Josh, let's see if we can find one more slug bug before we get home." He yells from the back, "Can we do it!? Yes we can!!!!! Show 'em what you got Mom!!!!"
I'm happy to report that we took the victory with 8 slug bug sightings today!!!!

Our Journey to Special Needs Adoption

I am a part of a yahoo chat group from our adoption agency that is made up of families who have either adopted a special needs child from China, are in the process, or are considering it. Recently a topic was brought up that was really close to my heart, gender preferences.
Some of you may know that Chinese people have a strong preference for sons. As a result, there have been thousands, if not millions, of daughters abandoned. In our culture, this is so hard to understand and seems so wrong. We can be quick to judge a country with such prejudices.
But don't be so quick... here's a sad reality that research is showing, out of eight American families who adopt, only one family will CHOOSE to adopt a boy. Ouch! This is a reality for all adoptions, international, domestic, first-time parents, parents of many, parents of both genders already, etc. It doesn't matter the circumstance; by and large, adoptive parents prefer girls.

Because this topic is close to my heart, here was my response to the group.

I am really glad that you brought up this topic for discussion. I am in some ways shocked and in other ways not surprised to hear that there is such a strong preference for girls among adoptions. I knew this with Chinese adoptions, but had no idea that it is such a strong factor among all other adoptions.
I'd like to share our story and hope that it might help others as they are considering adoption. We adopted our son, Joshua, from China three years ago. He was 22 months and had bilateral cleft lip and palate. I continue to marvel at him. He's bursting with personality, love, affection and skill. Our family is truly in love and smitten with him (including our two bio twins who are almost 8).

Our adoption process did not start with him in mind, however. We initially requested a girl, as young as possible and with no special needs (and to be honest I was secretly hoping that she would be cute because I worried about bonding with one who wasn't... shallow I know). As first time adopters, we had fears about adoption and bonding, so we figured that if we got one as young as possible she might not be too scarred. We had our own fears about our ability to bond with an adopted child as well. And, we thought we were already being pretty heroic already just by adopting internationally... we didn't even consider special needs.
I think our initial choice in choosing a girl was mostly out of our comfort level and experience. We knew two other families who had adopted Chinese girls. It sounded easier and safer to get a daughter. Plus, to be painfully honest, I didn't think Asian boys were all that attractive. Sad, I know.
Well, God had a way of showing us all of our wrong thinking and He also had plenty of time to correct our path as the wait time for healthy girls started growing fast soon after we sent in our dossier. About two years into the wait, I felt like I started hearing messages about special needs from every direction. My husband and I gave it a considerable amount of prayer and both felt like we were not supposed to proceed with changing to special needs adoption at that time. About six months later I sensed in my heart that I needed to pray about this again. Through that, God began to show me how imperfect I was when He adopted me, and how I had decided on my own what kind of child I wanted instead of letting Him decide. I was showing favoritism and God doesn't do that (see James 2). It's strange how as adopted parents we think that since choices and options are before us, that they are our choices to make. We didn't get to choose the sex of our biological kids, or whether or not they were special needs. For our family, I felt like God was asking us to trust Him to give us the child He wanted us to have... boy or girl, healthy or not. I'm not implying that He takes all families on the same journey or that He doesn't allow us some choice in the matter. I just feel like so often, we haven't given God enough of the say.
In the end, He chose a son for us. And I have to say that it was harder to adjust to the fact that I was getting a boy, than to the fact that he had special needs, partly because we had been planning and praying for a little girl for nearly 3 years.
I am so grateful that the Lord gently corrected my wrong desires and decisions and that His sovereign hand interrupted our course so that we could have Josh!!
My biggest encouragement to people who are adopting is to be very careful and prayerful about the choices you are given. Be sure that you are allowing the Lord to direct your choices and trust Him with the results.
Blessings,
Lesli

Third Gotcha Day!!

Gotcha Day, July 21, 2008 just moments after we got Josh.

Gotcha Day one year later.

Gotcha Day two years later.

Gotcha Day number three, this July 21st.

We had a great day celebrating Josh!! He kept telling people that it was his Gotcha Day and then he'd tell them that Gotcha Day was, "the day we got me!!!" I'll do another post about how we celebrated this year. I love this little tradition we've started with the kissing pics!!

Found a Winner!!!

(photo from here)

I just made a recipe I found on Pinterest. It was super easy and very very tasty!!! I always love it when I find a good crock pot recipe. It will definitely become a family regular.

Chicken Taco Bowls
(recipe copied and pasted from here)
(I made one choice that I think made the recipe even more delish...I used green verde salsa instead of red)

Total Recipe cost: $10.66
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $1.33
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 8 hrs. Total: 8 hrs. 10 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1.5 lbs.	chicken breasts	$2.90
1 (16 oz.) jar	salsa	$1.99
1 (15 oz.) can	black beans, drained	$1.19
1/2 lb. (8 oz.)	frozen corn	$0.57
1 Tbsp	chili powder	$0.15
1/2 Tbsp	cumin	$0.07
1/2 Tbsp	minced garlic	$0.10
1/2 tsp	dried oregano	$0.03
1/4 tsp	cayenne pepper	$0.02
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
to taste	cracked pepper	$0.02
2 cups	dry rice	$0.66
8 oz.	shredded cheddar	$2.49
1/2 bunch	cilantro (optional)	$0.45
TOTAL		$10.66

STEP 1: Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

STEP 3: Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

STEP 4: After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Some videos of our vacation

Summer Vaca

We were blessed by some great friends who invited us to use their home and pool while they were away for vacation. It was such a fun and relaxing time! Other than swimming about 5 hours a day, Rusty got to get away to Cabellas by himself one day and I discovered the amazing world of Ikea another.

And they're off!!!

For the first time in 3 years it hasn't been pouring down rain for our first day pics!

Hud's super excited to have Mr. J this year. How wonderful that he has gotten two male teachers for the past two years. He's most excited that his first grade teacher, Mr. G has the same recess with Mr. J. Some serious sports to be played!

Han got her pick for a teacher. A super sweet Mrs. S. who likes bling like Han. I think she's going to love being in her class!

Han sporting the military look with gladiator bling shoes.

Second year at CGE!!

Everyday they start in the gym for the pledge and announcements. Hud's teacher, Mr. J is standing up by Hud.

Han already being sweet to the new girl!!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

Tomorrow is Gotcha Day!!!

Tomorrow is a special occasion for our family. We'll be celebrating Joshua's Gotcha Day. It's been three years since our precious boy was placed in our arms!!

Hann's first sewing project

This is Hannah. I made this apron by myself with Mommy's help. First I picked out my favorite fabric, then I pinned the pattern down. And then I cut it out. Next, I sewed it. And last but not least, I strung the ties through the neck. Love, Hannah

Mexican Chicken Wraps

I tore this recipe out of a Sam's club magazine in the fall of 07 and threw it in my recipe folder. I finally got around to trying it, and wish I had sooner! It's a hit, and a great, quick, easy, cool summer meal.

Mexican Chicken Wraps (makes 6 wraps)

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/3 c. of your favorite salsa

2 dashes Tabasco (more if desired)

Combine these in your blender or food processor and blend until creamy.

2 c. shredded Rotisserie Chicken

6 flour tortillas (burrito size, 10 inch)

6 romaine spears (I used spinach leaves b/c that is what I had on hand)

1/2 c. chopped cilantro (this makes these taste so good, so if you're a cilantro hater, the whole recipe might taste a little less impressive)

1/2 c. black olives, chopped

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients in the tortillas for wraps. :) enjoy!!

Just a couple of funny kids!!

Gotta post these on my blog for posterity sake.

Han told Russ last night that she was "pwetty shuh she was going to mahwy a wedneck someday!" I asked her what a redneck was and she said, "Someone just like my Daddy!!" If she can find someone as wonderful as her Daddy, she'll be a very blessed and happy woman!!

Hud's teacher should consider himself lucky today. Hud considered taking the stomach of the turkey his dad shot last night for show and tell. He thought it was cool to look inside and see what the turkey had been eating. Only in Kansas (maybe Arkansas too!)

"Crappy Tacos" (Fish Tacos with Cilantro-lime Crema)

Recently Russ took the three kids fishing at a friend's house. When I got home from work that night, I found a baggie full of about 3 pounds of crappie (pronounced "crop ee") that Russ had skinned and filleted. Because I'm not a huge fish fan, I decided to make tacos out of them. Our family loves fish tacos! Even if you don't like fish, and the sound of putting it in a taco sounds irreligious, I would be willing to bet that if you tasted these tacos, you'd love them!

Fish Tacos with Cilantro-lime Crema

First make the Crema: (measurements don't have to be exact)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 T. mayo

3 T. sour cream

1 t. zested lime rind

1 1/2 t. fresh lime juice

1/4 t. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Next make the rub: (again, don't worry about being exact)

1 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. ground red pepper

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. garlic powder

Sprinkle this evenly on both sides of about 1.5 pounds of mild fish (like tilapia, red snapper, crappie).

Place foil over a cookie sheet and lay fish evenly on the sheet. Bake fish at 425 degrees for about 9 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

While fish is baking, shred lettuce or cabbage and slice or dice some avocados. Sometimes I sprinkle a little garlic salt over the avocados.

Serve fish with crema, lettuce and avocado in steamed corn tortillas. (I steam mine by putting about 6 of them in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30-45 seconds.)

Enjoy and let me know what you think.